Can a NAS work only with 1 or 2 drives?

Hello I’m looking into QNAS 251 I only need about 6tb I’m not worried about backing up files my question is if I buy the 2bay do I have to put a hard drive in both for it to work and if I buy the 4bay one can I put a hard-drive in just one thank you.

The answer is yes you can. It is actually very popular to half populate the available bays. That not only saves money to start with but also saves electricity. Puting a single drive is not as popular as 2 drives in the 4 bay NAS, because it is still providing 1 drive protection. Later on, you can upgrade the raid to a RAID5. Or if you have a Synology, choosing SHR will automatically allow you to add more drives later without changing a RAID.


Find regulary updated NAS offers here
Of course I would prefer you choose AMAZON UK AMAZON USA to buy your perfect solution, however, if you would rather buy locally, please use the links used above to take you to your local Amazon store and help support this free advice service with ad revenue. More ways of supporting the blog are described HERE  

Home: https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-backup.html#af9rgr Business: https://www.backblaze.com/business-backup.html#af9rgr Comparison with other service providers: https://www.backblaze.com/best-online-backup-service.html#af9rgr  

If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you. Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which is used to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H. You can also get me a ☕ Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks! To find out more about how to support this advice service check HERE   If you need to fix or configure a NAS, check Fiver   Have you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here  

☕ WE LOVE COFFEE ☕

Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
     

locked content ko-fi subscribe

DISCUSS with others your opinion about this subject.
ASK questions to NAS community
SHARE more details what you have found on this subject
CONTRIBUTE with your own article or review. Click HERE
IMPROVE this niche ecosystem, let us know what to change/fix on this site
EARN KO-FI Share your knowledge with others and get paid for it! Click HERE

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE!